Female mutilation for virginity

Boys and men state strong support for stopping the practice. This appears not to be the case. Many girls who are cut have mothers who are against the practice.

According to the definition of the World Health Organization WHOFemale Genital Mutilation FGM comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reasons and does not include medically prescribed surgery or that which is performed for sex change reasons. Its practice can be found among all religious, ethnic and cultural groups and across all socioeconomic classes. It is estimated that up to million women and girls have already been subjected to some form of FGM and 2 million more are expected to experience it each year.

The World Medical Association joins with other international agencies in condemning the practice of genital mutilation or cutting of women and girls, regardless of the level of mutilation, and opposes the participation of physicians in these practices. Stopping female genital mutilations FGM requires action on strict enforcement of laws prohibiting the practice, medical and psychological care for women who are victims and prevention of FGM by education, risk assessment, early detection and engagement with community leaders. The phrase FGM is used to convey a number of different forms of surgery, mutilation or cutting of the female external genitalia. The term female circumcision is no longer used as it suggests equivalence with male circumcision, which is both inaccurate and counterproductive.

Many international groups are concerned about FGC, which is practiced extensively in parts of Africa and the Middle East and is linked to infections, infertility, and childbirth complications. Organizations such as the United Nations have campaigned against the practice, calling for its abolition as a matter of global health and human rights. But despite a decades-old movement against it, FGC rates in some countries haven't budged.

Back to Health A to Z. Female genital mutilation FGM is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but there's no medical reason for this to be done. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting, and by other terms, such as sunna, gudniin, halalays, tahur, megrez and khitan, among others.

Eight out of 10 Egyptian women have undergone female genital mutilation. In Bani Suwaif, an imam and a priest have joined forces to campaign against the practice. But the bloody tradition is firmly embedded in people's minds.

FGM is a complex multifaceted practice deeply rooted in a strong cultural and social framework. It is endorsed by the community and supported by loving parents with what is believed to be the best interests of a young girl at heart. FGM can only be understood within its cultural context, for in the societies where it is practised - despite its harmful physical affects - FGM provides women with many social and cultural benefits.

Although some consider it a human rights infringement, others view it as an integral part of cultures in which it remained unchallenged for centuries. There are significant medical sequelae and public health ramifications of female circumcision; therefore most U. However, although there is ample media and political attention to this volatile issue, there is a relative dearth of practical, clinical information available to providers who care for circumcised women and their families. As African communities and advocates grapple with how to stop this practice, circumcised women need clinicians familiar with these surgeries, who will move beyond negative feelings they may have about the practice in order to treat women knowledgeably and with dignity.